Last year, Chicago rapper Receo Gibson dropped a mixtape, a compilation of singles, and an EP, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he’d lost the thread. Now 26, he’d been rapping since age 18, and he’d built a promising career under the name Sage, the 64th Wonder. In 2016 local multimedia outlet 119 Productions put Sage’s “Purple Scope,” recorded with Pivot Gang cofounder MFn Melo, on Countdown 2 Midnight, a compilation that also features some of the biggest names in contemporary Chicago hip-hop—including Noname, Mick Jenkins, Saba, and King Louie.
What does “Lunxch” say to you that “Sage” didn’t? And what does it say about your new style?
Yeah. Because when I was under the moniker Sage, I felt, like, clustered. I didn’t know what to do musically. I didn’t have no direction. It drove me into a panic, a mental panic. And I’m just like, “It’s cool, there are still people that are listening, there are still people that believe in you, no matter what. Don’t let none of that negative stuff get to you.” That’s what I was telling myself while I was writing that song. I just wanna provide a light at the end of the tunnel for myself and others who can relate to the situations that I endure.
They tell me to stop overthinking, a lot. I’m not one to hide my emotions; I’m pretty up-front with everything. I have a big collective, so when you’re dealing with so many colliding minds and alpha males, you gotta always voice your opinion and voice when something’s wrong. So I always do that. Like, if something’s bothering me, I let them know. They just tell me, “All right, bro. There’s nothing to worry about, G. Get your head up—just do what you gotta do.” And I’ll be like, “Yeah, you’re right, you’re right, you’re right.” Gotta bring myself back down to earth and not just drift in my mental all the time. That’s usually what my collective do—keep me grounded.
Were those Columbia open mikes?
